Here is something to keep an eye out for in the new year. Oscilliscope presents VHYes, a wonderful and heartfelt oddity from Jack Henry Robbins.
A bizarre retro comedy shot entirely on VHS, VHYes takes us back to a simpler time, when twelve-year-old Ralph mistakenly records home videos and his favorite late night shows over his parents’ wedding tape. The result is a nostalgic wave of home shopping clips, censored pornography, and nefarious true-crime tales that threaten to unkindly rewind Ralph’s reality.A hypnotic narrative told through hundreds of criss-crossing vignettes and a mix of absurdist comedy, sincere drama, music, and just a touch of horror, this wholly original feature debut expertly walks the fine line between complete lunacy and total sincerity.
Produced by, among others, his parents Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon VHYes will be in cinemas nationwide on January 17th, with special advance screenings on January 12th.
We wish there was a trailer for VHYes but once you see it for yourself you will understand that it is kind of difficult to cull footage from a flick like VHYes and put it in a form that makes sense.
I've seen VHYes, but I did so for festival programming reasons so I was not able to follow up with a formal review. If my opinion means anything to anyone out there, and you just like weird, avent-garde stuff that will surprise you emotionally, then seek out VHYes next month.